A controversial video featuring edited footage of government officials has sparked allegations of a corruption mechanism at the Presidential Palace, claims the government has categorically denied as a malicious hybrid attack.
The approximately eight-minute video was published yesterday afternoon on the X platform, presenting footage of former government official Giorgos Lakkotrypis, presidential office director Charalambos Charalambous, and Cyfield Group director Giorgos Chrysochou.
The edited footage attempts to suggest President Christodoulides’s campaign team used cash for their 2023 election campaign, exceeding the legally defined limit of €1 million, according to how the statements are presented in the video.
The video’s creators also present the image of a mechanism whereby companies contribute money to the Presidential Palace in various forms to receive special services and have their requests advanced.
Lakkotrypis reported the matter to police at the Nicosia Crime Detection Department yesterday, philenews revealed. He said his statements were spliced together to serve the video creators’ narrative, according to reports.
Presidential Palace officials held a meeting shortly after the matter escalated. Late yesterday evening, a meeting was underway at the Presidential Palace involving President Nikos Christodoulides, Attorney General Giorgos Savvides and Cyprus Intelligence Service chief Tasos Tzionis, according to information at the time.
Information and indications being examined indicated that the account that published the material is linked to foreign interests and a country’s services that would benefit from damaging the Republic of Cyprus, particularly during this period when it holds the EU Council Presidency.
Those who illegally recorded Lakkotrypis’s statements presented themselves as Dutch nationals managing an investment fund, according to reports.
They met the former minister, as parties interested in investing €150 million in the energy sector on behalf of the investment fund. Lakkotrypis participates on the board of directors of a company active in the energy sector and met the purported investors in that capacity.
The video was published on an account belonging to Emily Thompson, who is presented as an independent researcher, analyst and lecturer with a focus on US foreign and domestic affairs.
She appears to have published geopolitical analyses on the Eurasia Review website, which is reportedly based in the United States. The account’s profile is under investigation.
Shortly after philenews revealed the complaint, Lakkotrypis confirmed it in a written statement, saying the video content is the product of malicious editing.
“Regarding a video circulated today from a fake profile on platform X, in which I appear to discuss with purported investors ways of financing the President’s election campaign, I would like to state the following: It is obvious from the video that the statements attributed to me have been edited to distort the context of the discussions, with the ultimate goal of damaging our country, the President himself and me personally,” Lakkotrypis said.
“It is no coincidence that the video was leaked one day after the ceremony launching Cyprus’s EU Council Presidency. I have already filed a complaint with the Nicosia Crime Detection Department, to which I will deliver all the evidence I have at my disposal”.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis issued a written statement, saying the video, “based on the initial assessment by the competent state service, is characterised as malicious and is the product of editing. This video attempts to damage, through false, misleading claims and arbitrary conclusions, the image of the government and the country”.
In a supplementary statement, he added, “Based on further investigation and evidence already collected by the competent service, a case of hybrid activity against the Republic of Cyprus is being examined. The Attorney General and the Chief of Police have been informed”.
The video presents Lakkotrypis appearing to discuss Christodoulides’s 2023 presidential campaign. His statements are presented in a way suggesting cash was deployed beyond the legally defined €1 million limit that the campaign team was entitled to use.
The footage shows Charalambous speaking via video conference, who, according to the purported reporter, is key to the alleged mechanism and that there are “groups willing to pay money to the Presidential Palace for special treatment, favours, influence and access”.
Charalambous is presented as saying his interlocutor could “offer for Corporate Social Responsibility purposes” and that “an American wanted to contribute to the country of 500,000 dollars”.
The video shows Lakkotrypis appearing to discuss good relations between the Presidential Palace and Remedica and that companies’ interests are advanced through the Republic, even in the European Union.
“Remedica, after my advice, donated €75,000 to the Presidential Palace,” Lakkotrypis appears to say, adding he arranged telephone contact between the company and the President.
Cyfield Group director Giorgos Chrysochou appears to say, “I see him every two weeks” and “if I call him now, he’ll answer”. At another point, he is presented as saying: “Our relationship is our biggest asset.”
The video’s creators claim meetings are arranged to make contributions to the Presidential Palace programmes managed by Philippa Karsera, the President’s wife.
Statements from Chrysochou are included: “You always have to be under the publicity radar, right? So we give her €10,000 every year (…) We support other initiatives, though. I pay €250,000 annually in contributions.”
Political reactions were immediate. Party leaders, political parties and individual MPs issued statements, the overwhelming majority of which, whilst not recognising the material as authentic from the outset, nevertheless demand clear explanations from the Presidential Palace.
Statements were issued by DISY president Annita Demetriou, AKEL general secretary Stefanos Stefanou, DIKO president Nicholas Papadopoulos, MP Irene Charalambidou, MP Alexandra Attalidou, AKEL MPs Christos Christofides and Aristos Damianou, DIKO MP Chryssis Pantelidis, DISY MP Nikos Georgiou and EDEK, amongst others.